The Center for Career and Life Planning (CCLP) has seen a 30 percent increase in appointments and a 60 percent increase in drop-ins since their relocation to Kathleen W. Rollins Hall.
“The whole goal that I have for career development is to get us to a place where students can’t avoid us,” said Tricia Zelaya-Leon, director of career development. “I don’t mean that in a negative way … I want students to happen upon the center earlier and more often so they can build relationships with us.”
The CCLP offers a variety of services, including career exploration, graduate school guidance, and events. This includes this month’s Alumni Board Networking Night and the Network and Recruitment Night, which more than 120 registered students attended.
The CCLP is trying to cater to students’ needs though these types of programs, which Zelaya-Leon said has become easier since the center moved to Kathleen W. Rollins Hall this semester.
Adnan Kabbani (‘22) has used previous CCLP resources and noticed improvements.
“They prepare us with a lot of information about what it’s like applying for a job [and] help us to look for a job,” said Kabbani.
Equipped with student feedback, the CCLP is prepared to add the right tools to their repertoire.
For Niko Ellison (’21), services like the Network and Recruitment event are working.
“It’s my first event … there’s a lot of employers here. I’m meeting a lot of people, and I really appreciate what CCLP did,” said Ellison.
The Network and Recruitment event was provided for students looking for work and internships. Over 20 recruiters were present, from major companies like Amazon to startups like dasFlow athleisure wear.
“I think they’re a helpful way to provide students with a sense of not only culture, but explore their networking experiences and opportunities,” said Gigi Torres (’21).
However, Brock Simmons (’20) was hoping to gain more from the recruitment night.
“I feel like it was a really good event, but at the same time, I feel like it was catered more towards business. By business, I mean Human Resources and things of that nature, instead of companies that deal with engineering that other students here are going to school for,” said Simmons. “It would be really nice to have those types of companies here as well.”
The CCLP encourages students to keep up with their Handshake accounts and look out for future events like March’s Career and Internship Expo. Handshake may also be used to schedule appointments with the CCLP staff.
Students who are not sure where to start in their career planning can head to the Career Studio. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., students can drop in to get help with their resumes, internship and job searches, and salary negotiations, and to get the answers to any questions they might have.
Zelaya-Leon has a few words of advice for students who might feel bewildered by all the to-do lists and decisions that come with career and life planning:
“Take a breath and recognize that it can be overwhelming to not know where to start … The Career Center is a place where we have all the resources and services of a huge school. But really, we just want to build a strong relationship with students,” said Zelaya-Leon.
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